Congress dominates BJP in Himachal, registers fifth win on the trot

Subhash Rajta

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Shimla, July 14

The 2-1 triumph in the Assembly by-elections has given the Congress its fifth straight win over the BJP in the state-centric elections. The winning streak started with a 4-0 sweep in the 2021 by-elections, followed by a big 40-25 triumph in the Assembly election in 2022, a big victory in the Shimla Municipal Corporation elections in 2023, and two by-poll wins this year. The Congress, of course, lost the Lok Sabha elections and a Rajya Sabha seat in between, but remained a step ahead of the BJP in the state-centric elections.

Result of work done by govt: Pratibha

• The winning streak started with a 4-0 sweep in the 2021 by-elections, followed by a big 40-25 triumph in the Assembly election in 2022.
• Then followed a big victory in the Shimla Municipal Corporation elections in 2023, and two by-poll wins this year, 2-1 triumph in the Assembly by-elections now has given the Congress its fifth straight win.
• “The wins in the two recent by-polls is largely a result of the work done by government. Critical infrastructure was put back in place, the relief amount was enhanced about seven times,” said Pratibha Singh, HImachal Cong president

“It’s of course a huge achievement for us, especially considering how dominant the BJP has been elsewhere. The state Congress has set an example for others in taking on the BJP in an electoral battle,” said state Congress president Pratibha Singh.

So, what’s working for the Congress in the state-centric elections against the BJP that fights tooth and nail to win even the Municipal Corporation elections? “We will have to segregate these wins in two phases – the one before the Congress came to power in the state, and the other after it,” said Pratibha Singh. “The wins in the two recent by-polls is largely a result of the work the government did during and after the natural disaster that struck the state last year.

The critical infrastructure was put back in place promptly, the relief amount was enhanced about seven times, and rehabilitation work was carried out at a remarkable pace,” said Pratibha Singh. “Also, the implementation of key guarantees given in our manifestos also played a part,” she said.

As for the bye-elections win in three Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat in 2021 and the Vidhan Sabha elections victory in 2022, Pratibha Singh said the name of late Virbhadra Singh, the six-time Chief Minister of the state, was the game-changer. “We sought votes in his name and people voted as a tribute to the late Chief Minister,” she said.

Kuldeep Rathore, the former HPCC chief, said the BJP’s power-at-any-cost approach largely paved the way for the Congress win in the recent by-polls. “The people here did not like the BJP’s unscrupulous pursuit of power and rejected them,” he said. “Also, the results of by-elections generally tend to go in favour of the ruling government. But having said that, the Congress won the 2021 by-election against the BJP’s double engine government,” said Rathore.

Despite these five wins, the Congress can’t turn a blind eye to its complete surrender in the last three Lok Sabha elections and the embarrassing loss of the Rajya Sabha seat in February. It has miserably failed to replicate its state-centric performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Most Congress leaders put it down to the sway Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds over the masses.